BODHRÁN BOOTCAMP: Developing accented patterns on Bodhrán for more expressive playing.

In music, an accent is an emphasis, stress, or stronger attack placed on a particular note or set of notes, or chord, either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark. Accents contribute to the articulation and prosody of a performance of a musical phrase. This video is all about developing your control and consistency playing accents on bodhrán, and how accents can make your playing more expressive.
I’m Ruairi Glasheen, and I’m a percussionist, composer and filmmaker based in London. I’ve been playing bodhrán since I was 4 years old and I simply love this instrument! This is the first episode in a NEW SERIES of technique tutorials where I’ll share with you my approach to playing this instrument so please comment below any suggestions or requests you might have!
The 26 drum rudiments referenced in this video can be found here:
www.pas.org/docs/default-sour...
🎶 MY COURSE How to Play Bodhrán : Begin Your Journey
bodhran.teachable.com/p/how-t...
For more information about me:
www.RuairiGlasheen.net/about
Lets connect on Facebook:
/ ruairiglasheenmusic
Find me on Instagram:
/ ruairi_glasheen
Tweet me on Twitter:
/ ruairi_glasheen
The deer skin bodhrán I am playing in this video is made by the brilliant Seanie McGrath:
/ bodhranseaniemcgrath
The metronome app I am using in this video is called MetroTimer:
apps.apple.com/gb/app/metrono...

[@bodhran]

Thanks so much for checking out this video - I hope you enjoyed! ☘️ You might be interested online course How to Play Bodhrán : Begin Your Journey which includes over 4 hours of video content in 42 videos, specially recorded practice tracks and much more! Check it out at the link below->
bodhran.teachable.com/p/how-to-play-bodhran

[@57563]

Hi Ruairi, thanks for the exercise on accents which I am keen to follow. This may seem odd, but in one of your future lessons could you talk about what the bodhran should sound like. I have a tunable drum but because I am playing on my own with no contact with other players I can't tell whether my drum skin is too tight or loose. Thanks again!

[@bodhran]

Great idea! I will certainly factor that in to a future video. Thanks for watching, and happy practice :-) Ruairi

[@forestgrove4193]

Thanks for this video. More to play with and hopefully get better! Now what I'm wondering is if you do warm-up exercises before playing, as singers do warm-up exercises before singing? Besides neck, upper body, and hand stretching, do you do certain patterns or rhythms that help you warm up (analagous to singing scales)? Perhaps this would be a topic for a future video.

[@daveexplosionlynch]

Great video, Ruairi! It's so satisfying when the triplets start sneaking in!!

[@jenibylsma9845]

Been playing the bodhran for a few weeks now, and I find exercises like this invaluable - it’s amazing how changing the place of the accent, and the speed affects how things sound. Using a metronome is a great idea. It’s amazing how quickly you can build up speed by upping the speed a little at a time. Thanks for another awesome video. Looking forward to the next one!

[@bodhran]

So delighted these exercises are working Jeni, and your having fun on the way! Happy practicing and keep your eyes peeled for the next bootcamp on Tuesday :-)

[@kerrylynch-butwithallduere7426]

Hey Ruairi! I'm loving these tutorials - thank you so much for the great content!! Can I ask, which mics are you using? I'm wanting to start recording myself and wanting to upgrade my tech :)

[@tmead07]

Regarding having to put a bit more into accenting the upstrokes, in addition to gravity, I feel like I am stronger rotating my hand/forearm inward than I am outward. I wonder if anatomy and different muscle strengths makes a difference there as well. Great videos, by the way. I’m just starting out and I find your instructional videos to be the easiest to follow. :)

[@alexandrevong4987]

Thank you Ruairi ! You're such a fantastic teacher, I'm practising bodhrán thanks to your amazing lessons, It wouldn't be possible without you, thank you so much !

[@bodhran]

Thanks for the kind words Alexandre 🙏

[@TheBigPilgrim]

Thanks for the videos Ruairi, they are all incredibly well put together and very helpfull. Been wanting to pick up a Bodrhan and start playing for years now, no time like the present!
Do you think the type and quality of tipper matters for a begginer? Not to sure if the budget one that came with my drum is worth replacing at this stage!

[@bodhran]

Thanks for the very kind words, and delighted the tutorials are a help. For sure, getting started, don't worry about which tipper you have unless its scratching the epidermis of the skin. If its smooth tipped and not too heavy it will serve you well to get going!

[@esthergurau7771]

Thanks

[@barbaralevittwarren9809]

Do women tend to need to make an adjustment because of the left boob. Im just not quite sure ive got the tuck under the arm. Its also a big bodhran (cheaper with Murphy's stout advert). Im wondering if a smaller one would be better.
Love the boot camp. Thank you :)

[@bodhran]

For sure, very good point. People are all different shapes and bodhrán all different sizes, and there is no one size fits all. If you get a chance trying some smaller drums you might find that helps. Personally I mostly play 16" drums, which is smaller than the larger, more traditional drums which are 18" . Glad your enjoying the videos - keep practicing 🙌 Ruairi

[@annlawson8431]

Thanks for asking this Barbara! I'm having a similar problem but was afraid to ask! :)

[@vivienproctor-parr5636]

@@annlawson8431 same!

[@shaalis]

A cutaway shell design will help!

[@gina-sx1ik]

For some reason, I decided to try and "pass" the accent down the line of a DUD DUD pattern...not very pretty...lol!

[@bodhran]

Thats a tricky one, but a great idea! Stick with it Gina!